Over the past weeks I'd gotten a lot better at sleeping, I've slept at less irregular hours and even slept for longer periods of time than I used to. My health anxiety was less severe too.
Tonight however I find myself unable to fall into a comfortable sleep. I keep feeling like my heart is beating too hard or racing, but when I check my pulse, it's perfectly normal. I cannot stop my mind from imagining my heart going berserk in my chest and stopping altogether. When I'm about to fall asleep I jolt awake, my heart actually throbbing. I keep having these unhealthy thoughts of death and how much I fear it.
There's no other physical "symptom" , no pain or numbness, simply just my anxious mind thinking there must be something wrong with my heart. Even though I recently went for a checkup specifically for my heart and everything came back normal.
I keep telling myself that my body is healthy and there cannot possibly be anything wrong with it. But my mind won't stop, like I have no control over my own thoughts anymore.
I'm afraid and I feel like I'm going mad. It's 02:35 now and I don't see any chance of a good night's sleep.
Sadly I have had the same experience a lot of times. I would wake up and can’t go Back to sleep due to my anxiety. I also would get paranoid. I take deep breath’s and also drink lavender tea before I sleep when I am having a very stressful day .
I get these jolts and fears. What works for me is getting up (as when you are jolted your are not gonna get to sleep right away anyway), get a drink of water, go to bathroom and then take deep breaths and listen to music and tell yourself it will be ok- just laying there with no pressure to do anything, your body will get the point eventually and rest.. of course for me I have the anxiety that it gets late and late and not going to sleep and that things are doomed and I shake but yeah..
Thanks so much for the advice, last night I actually did much of what you said, I made some tea, walked around for a bit and lied down in bed listening to relaxing music, trying to tune out my fears. I fell asleep at around 03:30 am.
Sharing my fears on here really helped too I think, getting it out and putting it into perspective.
Wonder what your system would do if you tried to stay awake... Paradox effect to see, on a day you can afford to not sleep, what might happen. This is one scientific variable I might try only when I did not have to work the next day. Perhaps trying so hard it is backfiring despite the protocols. I know if I had the warmer and was settled, I might try to read and then would be asleep. I think that is why so many read in bed. I would have to make sure it was not an exciting book though or I am sure I would be up all night as I have done on occasion.
That's an interesting approach, while having tried so hard to stay awake I end up not having slept for 24 hours. Maybe the opposite will do the trick! It is true the nights I want to stay late I end up getting tired before too long... Books have always been something like coffee at night, you cannot put it down once you've opened it.
I didn't get much sleep last night (3 hours) and I had class in the early morning, needless to say I was closer to a walking corpse than anything else!
do you get enough exercise to wear out your body to need sleep. Like a battery that needs current to run. If there is no machine to running my guess you body does not know to recharge, Once the system starts to work again it can be energizing.
I have trouble sleeping as well I would try the videos on youtube that have music for sleep and I still find it difficult to go back to sleep I even try Advil PM and I still have trouble sleeping the mind is incredible I want to learn how to control my thinking.
I did end up listening to some music for sleep and relaxation, it definitely helped to calm me down. The mind is a very powerful thing, it scares me that I cannot control it.
I sometimes have a night where i know early on i will not be sleeping at all. Usually because too upset or troubled. To try to sleep you could try reading it makes your eyes tired and that can help.
I will try reading I woke again at 2:30 the mind is a powerful thing I have to learn to control my thinking sharing my thoughts is helping me I am grateful for this forum and the people that I have come across
PudgyOrc, have you heard of ASMR on youtube? ASMR is a technique where people talk quietly or whisper. I use ASMR videos when I want to calm down or go to sleep😴
Hi PudgyOrc...have had sleeping troubles for years..briefly some folks take valerian and or melatonin...however, it is best to check with a pharmacist or medically trained person....warm bath with Epsom salts helps me ...meditation yes..prayer works for me...journaling eg. I pretend to write to Francis of Assisi and I imagine his replies as he was a holy person....some folks do a gentle “ yoga” or stretching to induce sleep...talking to a therapist, close friend, grandparent may help...do not blame self....see your body as just trying to regulate and calm your nervous system. Hope these suggestions help. God bless.
Hi Balthazar, thank you so much for the advice. I haven't had a bath in Epsom salts before, I will certainly give it a go the next time my mind won't shut down. I've heard that melatonin helps, but have yet to try it. What a comfort it would be if you could speak to someone like Francis of Assisi at such moments.
You are welcome. You can in a sense speak to St. Francis. According to HenriNouwen, he still influences people today despite dying centuries ago. If you can read about a holy person and/ or something they wrote, you get a sense of how they might respond if you were to talk to them. What I do as an example is pretend there are three chairs. Francis sits in one, I sit in one and my OCD sits in another. Then I imagine a dialogue between the three. I compose the dialogue. It does not have to be long. What may emerge is that one should be more self compassionate. Like Francis speaking to God you try to ask the Higher Power to assist you; you attempt to sit in that sacred space like Francis and others did.
That is brilliant, I am going to give it a try. I often have similar dialogues in my head. Only the person involved is someone I created based on various different philosophers I admire and I then imagine what kind of advice he would give in my situations. Thanks again for all the help!
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Sleepless for a long period
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